A Johns Creek woman was arrested last week for operating an illegal dental clinic out of her home, police said. Claudinette Varon-Castro, 45, was charged with five felony charges on July 2, including three counts of practicing dentistry without a license. She was also charged for illegally having several medical drugs, including antibiotics, anesthetics and muscle relaxers."This was very unexpected," said Johns Creek police detective Capt. Brian Weaver. "This was a regular subdivision."
Police said Varon-Castro had certificates from her home country of Colombia saying she was a dentist, but was not licensed to practice in the United States or in Georgia, a felony.
She was taking cash only to see patients, police said.
She was taking cash only to see patients, police said.
Authorities were tipped off about Varon-Castro in May, and began a month-long sting.
Undercover officers set up appointments at Varon-Castro's home at 4790 Ogeechee Drive.
She examined one officer's mouth and suggested taking X-rays and applying local anesthesia before a procedure.
Undercover officers set up appointments at Varon-Castro's home at 4790 Ogeechee Drive.
She examined one officer's mouth and suggested taking X-rays and applying local anesthesia before a procedure.
Varon-Castro told the officer she would charge $180 for her service. When the officer declined and asked only for pain medicine, Varon-Castro offered 22 Amoxicillin pills and charged the officer $60 cash."I'm delighted that this hit the public eye," said Dr. Peter Trager, former president of the Georgia Board of Dentistry, the agency that regulates dentists. "Hopefully, it will put the fear of God in some of these other people that police and the board don't know about."
Trager said many underground dentists like Varon-Castro prey on undocumented immigrants who either can't afford or are afraid to go to a conventional dentist."Most of the time, they get hurt, and they don't report it because of their illegal status," the Marietta dentist said. "Fortunately, the state Legislature made it a felony" in 2005.
Varon-Castro was released from the Fulton County Jail last week on $25,000 bond, according to jail records.
Weaver, the lead detective in this ongoing investigation, said more charges could be pending, "once we determine what was taken out of there."
He said police are trying to determine how she got Amoxicillin, antibiotics, the muscle relaxant Flexoral and three different anesthetics, including Lidocaine. "She could've gotten them online, or she could've gotten them through a regular dealer, since she has some medical connections," Weaver said.
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